Red Threads
by Ribs On The Run
Summary: For a ninja, death is unavoidable. Red is the colour of blood; the colour of passion, ripeness, love, revenge, guilt, courage. It is the thread of fate. This is the first blood on their hands. No specific pairings. /coming up: Tenten. updated periodically


I do hope you enjoy it though I haven't gotten to the actual story(s) yet.

**Disclaimer:** Surprise! All that jazz ain't mine. Ahaha... never mind me. -.-;

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Prelude

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_Shinobi Lesson:_

_A ninja must not feel. Their greatest enemies are their emotions._

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There were many rules – or rather, codes of conduct that all shinobi and kunoichi alike followed. As genin, the rules in books were seen as unquestionable and so they acted accordingly, but as the ninja grew older, things changed. They started see that there was not one absolute and in a sort of rebellion they stated to make up some of their own which felt _right_ to them.

Ninja were not philosophers so these thoughts did not come to them after long years of consideration. Like how their ninjutsu sometimes happened to be learnt, these realisations occurred in the heat of battle and in the solemn aftermath of silent destruction. There were some which seized their hearts, some forgotten the next moment, and some which warped them beyond discern. In some cases, those that go awry to an extreme have it manifest in them corporeally as if the desecration became too much for their souls to bear alone.

Being a ninja was not as glorified as they made it seem – there was no thrill in watching the lips of a greedy lord condemned to death blubber fervently, begging so pathetically for the mercy they did not deserve. And no pride was felt when their hand checked the box marking the mission off as completed; when they remembered the eyes that glossed over, they shut their own. Nor was there any satisfaction in killing dispassionately.

A well placed slash or, perhaps, the sensitive skin of fingers pressed on the rough one of a neck, or even clever, internal dilapidation – there was no assassination that ended gently. _That_ was a dream for the naïve and the hopeful.

Death was a disgusting moment to watch, but the experienced knew not to avert their eyes; due respects must be paid.

It had made some squirm, while others felt a misplacement of guilt – so, when the last breath was heaved they let out a breath of their own. As with the milder reactions, some were some who were met with terrible providence. Those who were beyond unsuspecting were shocked into numbness and then, in a spiralling fall, driven to their own destruction…

Each time a life was taken, another weight was added onto their shoulders.

But ninja stood tall for after all, all they did, they did for the good of their country.

Pride.

Honour.

Strength.

Virtues.

All their illusions were shattered as they made their first kill.

For most men unwavering loyalty was highly regarded, a death was viewed with pity, and sometimes tactful sadness was deemed appropriate. They were never ready for their first kill but they had a bravado and a sturdiness which made them seem okay as time and experience worked its magic.

It was different for the females. Naturally empathic and instinctively caring, they were the ones who struggled with assassinations the most. Very rarely were females sent on B or A-ranked missions alone – they couldn't handle it. This was a 'fact' that was not publicised but everyone knew it and the reason behind this logic. It was an unwritten rule for them, instinctively, degradingly.

Even the fiercely feminist Hokage was forced to acknowledge that there may be some truth to this after several failed attempts to send a female only team on some of the more gory missions.

If a woman were to lead a mission, they were always accompanied by a male who went as backup to finish any job they failed. However, most females were sent as part of a team lead by a tactical male. So kunoichi were utilised in a different way. They were sent to track, and relay information on their targets. Espionage missions.

They could handle it all. Lying, flirting, stealth, disguises…

Espionages? Yes. Definitely. But slaying? No.

Just– no.

However, there is a point they all reached when they begin to wonder: was it wrong to feel for someone's death?

If given a choice between life and death, was the more honourable choice life? Or was it death that salvaged one's dignity?

Was salvation even something that they could have given?

Despite it all, the shinobi and kunoichi came out stronger and even more resolute than ever – and they never lost pride in their country.

These are their first kisses with death.

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Note:  
Basically I was thinking for this that I'd write about the feelings and experiences of some of the kunoichi and shinobi, periodically, whenever I feel like it. So updates will be inconsistent and only when I have inspiration.

Right now I'm thinking Tenten's first up. But we'll see. Hopefully my expression in writing will get better after writing a couple of pieces.

Thanks for reading up until here. **Wow**. You're amazing.

Lastly, if you have the time, reviews would be nice and any constructive criticism would mean the world to me. I did proofread it but I probably missed out on a heap of things.

29/May/08


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